Point saving device



E. H. SHERMAN POINT SAVING DEVICE Filed March 26, 1954 June 2, 1959 INVENT OR United States Patent POINT SAVING DEVICE Eugene H. Sherman, St. Paul, Minn.

Application March 26, 1954, Serial No. 418,896

3 Claims. (Cl. 123-179) This invention relates to an improvement in point saving device and is designed particularly to provide a means of providing high voltage during the starting operation of an internal combustion engine and to cut down the voltage during operating conditions of the engine to lengthen the life of distributor points and the like.

I find that under running conditions an internal combustion engine such as those used on automobiles may operate effectively at a somewhat reduced voltage. At the same time a higher voltage is usually required during the starting operation. The present invention resides in an attachment which may be used in any automobile for accomplishing these results.

A feature of the present invention resides in placing a resistor in the ignition system of the engine preferably between the current supply and the coil. This resistor acts to cut down the voltage to the distributor under normal conditions, thereby lengthening the life of the distributor points. Means is provided however for bypassing this resistor during the starting operation so as to permit the full voltage to be delivered during this period.

These and other objects and novel features of my invention will be more clearly and fully set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings forming a part of the specification:

The figure is a wiring diagram showing an automobile ignition system with my attachment thereupon.

The ignition system is shown diagrammatically and can vary without materially changing the present invention. In the form illustrated the system includes a battery 10, one terminal of which is grounded as indicated at 11. The other battery terminal is connected by a conductor 12 to an ammeter 13 which in turn is connected through conductor 14 to the ignition switch 15. This switch 15 would normally be connected to a conductor 16 leading to the coil 17 which boosts the voltage.

The coil 17 is normally connected by conductor 19 to the rotating arm 20 of a distributor 21. The distributor points 22 are each connected to a conductor 23 leading to a spark plug 24. The other terminal of the spark plug is grounded as indicated at 25. The battery is also normally connected to a conductor 26 connected to the starter switch 27. This switch 27 is connected by a conductor 29 to the starting motor 30, the other terminal of which is grounded at 31. When the starter switch 27 is closed current flows to the starter motor to operate the same.

The attachment is shown enclosed by the broken line 32. The attachment includes a resistor 33 which is connected by a conductor 34 to the ignition switch and is connected by conductor 35 to the conductor 16. In attaching the attachment the conductor 16 is removed from the ignition switch terminal and connected to conductor 35 and the conductor 34 is connected to the ignition switch terminal.

A relay coil 36 has one terminal grounded at 37 and has its other terminal connected by conductor 39 to the T 2,888,914 Patented June 2, 1959 starter switch terminal 40 which is on the normally open side of the starter switch. In other words, the relay coil 36 is energized when the starter switch is closed and this coil is otherwise de-energized.

The relay contact terminal 41 is connected to the conductor 34 and the cooperable switch arm 42 of the relay is connected to a second relay coil 43 by a conductor 44. The other side of the relay coil 43 is grounded as at 45.

The contact 46 of the relay coil 43 is connected by conductor 47 to the ungrounded side of the battery 10. The switch arm 49 of the relay 43 is connected by conductor 50 to the conductor 16 leading to the coil 17.

The operation of my device is as follows:

When the ignition switch 15 is on, current from the battery 10 may flow through the resistor 33 to the coil 17 This current then passes through conductor 19 and the distributor 21 to the spark plugs 24.

During the vehicle starting operation the starter switch 27 is closed causing a circuit through the conductor 39 to the relay coil 36, closing this normally open relay. The closing of relay 36 acts to close a circuit through the ignition switch 15, the relay terminal 41, the switch arm 42 and the conductor 44 to the relay coil 43 thus energizing the same. When the coil 43 is energized current flows from the ungrounded side of the battery through conductors 26 and 47, the switch arm 49 and conductor 50 to the coil 17, thus shorting the resistor and permitting current to bypass the resistor. When the switch to the starter motor is open, the circuit to relay 36 is broken, thus opening the relay and opening the circuit to relay 43. This, in turn, opens the circuit bypassing the resistor and permitting the current to flow only through the resistor.

In accordance with the patent statutes, I have described the principles of construction and operation of my improvement in point saving device, and while I have endeavored to set forth the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that obvious changes may be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. An ignition unit for vehicles including a source of current, a starting circuit including a starting switch and a starting motor controlled by said switch, an ignition circuit including an ignition switch, a resistor, a coil, arranged in series, a first relay connected in parallel with said starter motor to be energized when the starter switch is closed, first relay contacts which are normally open, a second relay connected in series with the first relay contacts, said ignition switch and said source of power, second relay contacts which are normally open, and a circuit through said second relay contacts from said power supply to said coil bypassing said resistor.

2. A point saving unit for use in combination with a vehicle ignition system including a battery, an ignition switch, a starter switch, and an ignition coil, the unit comprising an attachment containing a pair of relays and a resistor, and four conductors leading to said attachment, two of said conductors connecting the terminals of said resistor to said ignition switch and to said ignition coil, respectively, a third conductor connecting the normally open side of said starter switch to a first relay coil of said relays to energize said relay coil when said starter switch is closed, means connected to said conductor leading to said ignition switch and engageable with the armature of said first relay coil when said first relay coil is energized to close a circuit to a second relay coil to the second of said relays to energize said second relay, a conductor on said attachment connecting the armature of the second relay to the first mentioned conductor leading to said ignition coil, the fourth of said four conductors connecting said battery to said armature of said second relay coil when said second relay coil is energized.

3. An ignition system including in combination a source of current, an ignition coil, a circuit including said source of current and'said coil, a resistor in said circuit forreducing voltage to the coil, a by-pass across said resistor including a switch circuit relay, a current by-pass relay and a starter switch, said current by-pass relay being connected in parallel with said starter motor said current by-pass relay when said ignition circuit is closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Mallory July 1, i930 Hertzel Nov. 15, 1955 

